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In palmistry, the shape and proportions of the hands, like the ascendant in astrology, symbolizes a person’s basic character and behavioral tendencies. There’s a lot of confusion and controversy around Hillary Clinton’s time of birth. Last week The Washington Post and LA Times wrote feature articles about the dilemma. The Wall Street Journal devoted its front page to the issue of Hillary’s birth time on September 29. Many astrologers have agreed that Hillary was born around 8 am. That gives her Scorpio rising. I disagree.

Hillary has a fiery earthy Capricorn hand with square palms, straight short fingers, and separated head and life line. She has no earth in her horoscope except for her north node in Taurus. I believe she’s got either Capricorn rising or Saturn in Leo on her ascendant. If Capricorn is rising, her birth time is between 11:05 am and 12:59 pm. If Saturn is rising, her birth time would be around 12:17 am. That fits her personality best.

Hillary Clintonis aScorpio with a Pisces moon square Uranus in Gemini. There’s no doubt that Hillary has secrets. She’s all water and fixity. Hillary is also a natural manager who embraces the responsibility of delegating every aspect of daily business while maintaining a long-range vision. She has no problem starting early or staying late to finish a task. She’s structured, disciplined, and focused, expects you to be on time, and do what you say. She has no patience for excuses and inherently doesn’t trust slick and flashy types (though she married one).

Hillary is much less conservative than most people think. She’d prefer to stray from the rules, but continues to support and be supported by a system that she doesn’t know how to change. Practical and prudent, she patiently bides her time until circumstances are right. She’s independent and freedom loving and hates bureaucracy, despite being a hostage of one. She becomes quickly bored and impatient with routines. Hillary must have a worthwhile quest for her life not to become too mundane. She’s not possessive, but demands too little of her partner in her emotional life (low set pinky).

Hillarymust listen more to her natural intuition and less to her handlers and backers. She’s got less charm (doesn’t need anyone’s approval), but greater executive abilities than Bill. Hillary’s powerful north node in Taurus opposes her Mercury in Scorpio. One of her great lessons in life is to understand the difference between what she wants and what she needs. From a karmic point of view, Hillary’s job is to help humanity wrap its psyche around humanitarian values and issues that really matter. I believe that if Hillary does become President, she’ll rise to the occasion.

With Saturn about to oppose and then square Hillary’s Moon Uranus square, you can bet she’s plenty frustrated right now and feeling distant from everyone. Unlike her opponent, it’s hard for Hillary to fake her feelings and not be real. She’d rather show than tell any day. If she’s elected she’ll meet with a lot of prejudice and staunch partisan opposition to everything she tries until the end of 2017. 2018 will be a year of reform for her and us as Uranus opposes her Sun.

If Hillary does have 21 degrees of Leo rising, her outlook is much better. Transiting Uranus has been trine instead of inconjunct her Saturn / Ascendant. At inauguration time, transiting Saturn will be trine her Saturn / Ascendant while Jupiter will be sextile them. This new ascendant may also explain Hillary’s attraction to Bill as his Leo Sun is conjunct that ascendant. The outer planets will leave Hillary’s Leo ascendant without hard aspects for her first couple of years in office.

Hindsight is 20/20. History repeats itself. Let’s observe generational astrology through the lens of politics. George W Bush, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump share a Gemini lunar north node (December 24 1945 ~ August 11 1947). People born August 6 1964 ~ February 21 1966 (50–52) and March 15 1983 ~ Nov 1 1984 (32–33) share the same karma. It’s an invitation and responsibility to join society to share higher consciousness and lend humanity a helping hand so we can all exercise higher mind. It’s easy to see how Bill Clinton and George Bush screwed up their chances. Donald Trump has already done more than his share of damage. How many gilded towers, glitzy gambling casinos, golden pedestals, graven images, beauty queens, shark tanks, and celebrity idols do we need? Bill (Leo), George (Leo rising), and Donald (Leo rising) all have damaged Leo egos and corresponding hubris. The dark side of the force is alive and well in them. Darth Vader plans to become the emperor and control the evil empire. We need Luke Skywalker, Yoda, and the Jedi knights. We must look in the mirror to find them.

The celebrities below share outer planetary symbolism. Notice how many actors have traveled between light and darkness in a paradox between the person they are and the roles they play. One person’s hero is another’s villain. There’s a lot of humanity and just as much inhumanity. Saturn and Pluto conjunct in Leo has much to do with justified violence and the struggle for power. My Saturn Pluto conjunction closely straddles my Leo mid-heaven. Thanks to a series of business disasters, I was able to let go of my hubris and get my priorities straight. It’s challenging to find a healthy balance between opposing forces when the dark force is so strong. I share a lot of planetary symbolism and karma with Donald. I’m taking responsibility for my Gemini north node by offering you a helping hand ~ your own.

Uranus changes sign every seven years. In Aries, (1927–1935) Uranus brought fierce individualism, pioneering spirit, abundant energy, and limitless financial resources to bring concepts to fruition. It was the only outer planet to transit the sign of Aries in the twentieth century. Uranus invigorated the collective psyche through revolutionary and technological changes. Physics and astronomy created the “Big Bang” theory of an ever-expanding universe. The Neutron was discovered. Mao Tse-Tung began his `22 years in the wilderness’ where he developed guerrilla warfare tactics that ultimately conquered China. Leon Trotsky was expelled from the communist party. The federal government entered the field of hydroelectric power with Boulder Dam. The stock market crashed, forcing people to re-examine their values and institutions.

Uranus completed its eighty-four year cycle in the spring of 2011 as it turbulently returned to Aries to crumble regimes, topple demagogues, ignite cities, and fuel the Arab Spring that spread across the Mid-East. Devastating earthquakes in Japan forever changed how governments look at nuclear power policies. Protestors in Spain set the stage for Occupy Movements in New York and London. Osama Bin Laden was killed. His sighting appeared on Twitter before it was officially announced by the Whitehouse. WikiLeaks raised our consciousness of government secrets and conspiracies. We’ve seen our share of extremes ~ 1% vs 99%, capitalism vs values, partisan politics vs democracy, religious fundamentalism vs spirituality, and humanitarianism vs terrorism.

People born from 1935 to 1942 have Uranus in Taurus. Society began focusing on their values and questioning materialism. President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. Labor organized, forming unions that went on strike and engaged in sit-downs across the nation. President Roosevelt defended the Four Essential Freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. Partisan politics has steadily undermined those freedoms, including social and national security. The wealthy have expectedly gained, while so many people have experienced sudden and unexpected reversals. Uranus will return to Taurus after 84 years in early 2018 for another seven years. The New York Stock Exchange and Federal Reserve are bulls. Expect unexpected extreme financial fluctuations, public outrage, and mass rebellion that will begin a fundamental philosophical paradigm shift in global values.

When the planet Uranus transited the sign of Gemini from 1942 to 1949, the emphasis in this country shifted to education. The U.S. Supreme Court abolished religion in public schools. The GI Bill enabled thousands of people to go to college. Occupations in communications fields like radio and television became more prevalent. In 1946, the first computer calculation began at the University of Pennsylvania. It was called ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). Columbia Records introduced the 33 1/3 rpm “long playing record”. The Atomic Energy Commission was created. The United Nations held its first session in London. The United States joined NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

Bill, George, Bernie, Hillary, and Donald have Uranus in Gemini. Bill and George have Uranus conjunct their north node. Donald has the sun and Uranus conjunct his north node opposing his moon in Sag. You’d think that with all the north node in Gemini karmic debt, our public servants would be gratefully and graciously serving their country while raising the bar on education, energy, environment, each other, and the rest of us.

Bill, George, Hillary, and Donald have Neptune in Libra. While the planet Neptune transited Libra from 1942 to 1957, nuclear weapons began proliferating. The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. President Truman instructed the Atomic Energy Commission to produce an even bigger `Hydrogen Bomb’. The United Nations began blossoming. International cartels became firmly established. The European Common Market was recognized. The civil rights movement flourished. Group psychology became popular. The World Council of Churches was established. Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was the first American citizen canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. You’d think our public servants with Neptune in Libra would be promoting peace, tolerance, and caring.

The art world went through dramatic changes. Allen Ginsberg became a popular poet writing, “I have seen the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness”. When Neptune left Libra in 1957, the bestselling novel was Peyton Place, focusing on sexual intrigue in a small town. Certainly, Bill, Hillary, and Donald have shared their shocking sexual melodramas. People born between 1942 and 1957 tend to be overly idealistic in relationships. We must learn to harmonize, compromise, and sacrifice or maybe we should resign ourselves to living among a dysfunctional humanity in a lunatic world.

Bill, George, Hillary, Bernie, and Donald have Pluto in Leo. Pluto takes approximately twenty years to change sign. When it does, it disintegrates, destroys, and transforms collective consciousness. Leo is the light source. Pluto is the dark force. While Pluto transited Leo from 1938 to 1957, national and personal pride and power transformed. Despite The New Deal, ten million people were unemployed in 1939. President Roosevelt increased appropriations for building the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Congress adopted the Naval Expansion Act. Roosevelt transformed the Federal Reserve by creating the ‘withholding tax’, which was the beginning of social security. He became the first president to appear on television. These days, thanks to the media, politics has become entertainment and people vote for their favorite entertainers.

The House investigated un-American activities. It was the beginning of huge multi-national business conglomerates. Western Europe tried to appease Hitler with the Munich Pact, which turned Czechoslovakia over to Nazi Germany. Polls showed Americans approved. These sentiments have reawakened with Donald Trump. The Nazis invaded Poland, which caused Great Britain and France to declare war. Winston Churchill asked President Roosevelt for help. In 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Japanese Americans paid a high price as they were forced from their homes into concentration camps where they became innocent victims of hate and prejudice. Fundamentalist devotion to ideologies and tyrants began to crumble. In 1943, the fascist dictator Mussolini fell from power. By 1945, most of the world knew that six million Jews had been slaughtered in Nazi concentration camps. Can an emperor still catalyze this kind of consciousness and chaos these days? Youbetcha is the answer.

The atomic bomb was the ultimate plutonian weapon. After we bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrendered. In 1949, we supported a war in Korea that ended up killing three million Koreans in less than a year. In 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy began his sensational tirade against communist subversives and traitors in the US. Julia and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to the electric chair for stealing bomb secrets. Perhaps a wall should be built around the USA to keep us from infecting the world.

In 1951, the United Nations complex was completed in New York City. AT&T became the first company with over a million stockholders. Christine Jorgensen became the first transsexual to go public in 1952. Norman Vincent Peale’s best seller, The Power of Positive Thinking was published. The first kidney was transplanted. The first mechanical heart was made to work. Chevrolet introduced the powerful sexy Corvette in 1953. The US launched the Nautilus, the first nuclear powered submarine in 1954. The Soviet Union opened the world’s first atomic power station. Reigning British Monarchs made their first visit to American soil. We reached for outer space.

Better known as the `ME NOW’ generation, people born between 1938 and 1957 have used technology to build personal power. Pluto in Leo rules capitalism and democracy. Rest assured, plutocrats will have little problem finding money, rights, resources, and technology to own, harness, package, distribute, and sell our Sun’s energy to all of us as we struggle for our independence when Uranus returns to Leo (2039-2046) and Pluto (in Aquarius) opposes it near the end of its cycle.

Many people are preparing for ‘End Time’. It’s no surprise. The human race has become a race against bad shit happening. Rigid partisan beliefs and self-righteous attitudes have transformed us into horrible role models and lousy judges of our own characters and actions. Pious philosophers and pointless politicians pollute our greater purpose. Partisan paradigms and pestilent practices poison our psyche. Faulty families feast frenzily on flawed feelings, vague values, and toxic thinking that stimulate our fear, desperation, and hatred.

While we compartmentalize, analyze, and rationalize our ideologies and beliefs, we sacrifice our spirituality, virtue, integrity, dignity, and nobility on the altar of nonsense. Our selfish excesses compromise the immune system of our planet and the spirit of our people. We ignore root causes and treat symptoms with placebos as we wander aimlessly in the desert, worshipping sacred cows and coveting golden calves.

Let’s have a look at the hands and astrology of the candidates.

Donald Trump is a Gemini with Leo rising. His Leo hands embody the most negative attributes of Leo’s behavioral patterns that include being self-centered, self-indulgent, superficial, ostentatious, egotistical, ruthless, greedy, bossy, seductive, and a lousy role model. Why do people prostrate themselves before a naked self-appointed emperor on a gilded pedestal? What has happened to Donald’s (and our) humanity? It’s baffling to witness how a person can be so wealthy and spiritually bankrupt at the same time.

Mercury’s dark side is the trickster, magician, con-artist, and pick-pocket. Donald’s north node in Gemini is conjunct that archetype. Mercury square Neptune and corresponding curved pinkie fingers confirm Donald’s pathological dishonesty. If I were looking for dirt, I’d be checking the exact dates in 2011 and 2012 when Pluto squared, then opposed Donald’s Mercury Neptune square. I’d look for shenanigans on dates in 2012 and 2013 when Uranus opposed and squared that same combo.

Donald’s head and life lines are closely intertwined at their beginnings. Despite his aloof behavior, Donald craves your approval and cares a lot about what you think of him, though he doesn’t care about you. Donald’s day of reckoning is coming. In 2016, Uranus in Aries has been squaring Donald’s Saturn Venus conjunction in Cancer and will oppose it in 2017. His hubris will finally take him down when something so horrible that he has done that no one can accept will be exposed. George Bush had a similar problem. Hopefully, he’s gained some humility with hindsight.

Author’s note: many people have curved pinky fingers. They are not pathological liars, although a majority of people with curved pinkies are just trying to avoid confrontation. They’re peace makers because they learned as children to ‘be nice’ and ‘not make waves’. Many too often end up choosing safe over satisfying in their lives.

Hillary Clintonis aScorpio with a Pisces moon square Uranus in Gemini. Her birth time is questionable, although most astrologers seem to agree that she has Scorpio rising. There’s no doubt that Hillary has secrets. She’s all water and fixity. Her only symbol in earth is her north node in Taurus. Hillary’s hands reveal a Capricorn personality, though she has no planets in Capricorn. Her square palms, straight short fingers, and separated head and life line reveal a natural manager. She embraces the responsibility of delegating every aspect of daily business while maintaining a long-range vision. She has no problem starting early or staying late to finish a task. She’s structured, disciplined, and focused, expects you to be on time, and do what you say. Hillary has no patience for excuses and doesn’t trust slick and flashy types (though she married one).

Hillary used to be an idealist. She’s much less conservative than most people think. She’d prefer to stray from the rules, but continues to support and be supported by a system that she doesn’t know how to change. Practical and prudent, she patiently bides her time until circumstances are right. She’s independent and freedom loving and hates bureaucracy, despite being a hostage of one. She gets quickly bored and impatient with routines. Hillary must have a worthy quest for her life not to get too mundane. She’s not possessive, but demands too little of her partner in her emotional life (low set pinky).

Hillarymust listen more to her natural intuition and less to her handlers and backers. She’s got less charm (doesn’t need anyone’s approval), but greater executive abilities than Bill. Hillary’s powerful north node in Taurus opposes her Mercury in Scorpio. One of her great lessons is to understand the difference between want and need. There’s more than enough to go around in this world. From a karmic point of view, Hillary’s job is to help humanity wrap its psyche around humanitarian values and issues that really matter. I believe that if Hillary does become President, she’ll rise to the occasion.

With Saturn about to oppose and then square Hillary’s Moon Uranus square, you can bet she’s plenty frustrated right now and feeling distant from everyone. Unlike her opponent, it’s hard for Hillary to fake her feelings and not be real. She’d rather show than tell any day. If she’s elected she’ll meet with a lot of prejudice and staunch partisan opposition to everything she tries until the end of 2017. 2018 will be a year of reform for her and us as Uranus opposes her Sun.

Your middle finger (Saturn) is the ‘finger of fate’. It’s the balance wheel of your hand. It should always be the longest finger, although sometimes it may appear less long because the index and ring fingers are longer than average. Healthy Saturn types need to embrace structure, discipline, and focus. Harnessing these qualities is another story. Saturn is easily frustrated and often his own worst critic. Finding healthy outlets for all that persistence and will power are essential for maintaining a healthy life.

Middle finger types are loners who need alone time. Overdeveloped senses of responsibility, obligation, and guilt make them less inclined to marry than other types. They’re trust worthy, dependable, organized, efficient, and patient. They may also misspend their time feeling frustrated, pessimistic, self-critical, depressed, and fearful. Being overly responsible and perfectionistic are a formula for frustration and guilt. See how the strong middle finger in this hand magnetically draws the other fingers toward it. Lloyd Wilson is an incredible artist and artisan, confirmed bachelor, and very loyal friend. He worked as a night watchman for many years and devoured a wealth of art and literature in the process.

Middle-fingered folk are frequently tall, slender, and angular in appearance. Pure types have dark hair, large bones, stern features, and bland complexions. Their prevailing physical sense is smell. Many love string instruments and enjoy classical music with a tinge of sadness. Potential health problems include teeth, knees, ligaments, and hardening of arteries, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, and deafness in the left ear.

When a middle finger leans towards the ring finger, you have an individual who is very private. When he’s feeling confined, controlled, or restricted, he gets cranky. Notice the curved middle finger on Donald Rumsfeld’s left hand. Calling him a curmudgeon is an understatement. Abraham Lincoln (Aquarius) and Clint Eastwood (Gemini) are quintessential Saturn types. Saturn dominates conservative business people, real estate tycoons, technical writers, craftsmen, therapists, night watchmen, master criminals, morticians, undertakers, and derelicts. Saturnians with dominant top phalanges and strong pinkie fingers lead the way in research, science, mathematics, and humor.

Do you have a dominant middle-fingered boss? Be sure to do your homework with a very sharp pencil. Precision, attention to detail, and realism are vital to achieving your goals. Don’t be late and don’t make excuses. Assume responsibility. Be pragmatic, objective, reliable, and dependable. You’ll avoid criticism and get praise as you earn it.

The middle finger is the finger of destiny where vision and delusion meet reality. No matter what else is happening in your hands, your middle finger forces you to face the facts. You must do what needs to be done. It’s always about taking responsibility and doing the work. Remedies for Saturn maladies are inherent in the challenges in and around the middle finger. Whether you take responsibility and do the work or not, your hands will show your truth. A grille (schmutz) is a bunch of lines crisscrossing under the middle finger. That’s a sure sign of a frustrated perfectionist or a procrastinator not doing what needs to be done. People with schmutz beneath their middle finger are their own worst critics. They must learn to lighten up, bite the proverbial bullet, and smell the roses. Over time the schmutz will clear and the affirmation will add momentum. Putting one foot in front of the other is the best medicine for letting go of inertia and frustration. Healthy intent and appropriate actions will eventually reduce or erase the grille. The healthiest people have the healthiest middle fingers.

All palmists agree on the importance of the thumb. Although the thumb is a small body part, it takes up a huge space in the cerebral cortex of our brains. The thumb opposes our other four fingers, which has enabled our minds to develop. It’s the primary reason we have dominion over our ancestors, the apes. We’ve designed all of our tools from a pencil to the most sophisticated computer because of the placement of our thumbs. As our hands carry out the messages of our minds, our thoughts, feelings, and behavior are reflected in the morphology and topography of our hands.

The thumb symbolizes our most valuable resources: willpower, logic, and ability to love. It’s essential to our well-being that these three very important qualities be balanced. Like our other fingers, a thumb has two joints and three segments known as phalanges. The top phalange represents will. The second or middle phalange represents logic and ability to reason. If the will segment is longer than logic, you frequently act before you think. If there’s more logic than will, you may figure whatever out, but then procrastinate. A tiny bit more logic than will keeps us in check. The bottom phalange is the ball of thumb, contained by the lifeline. The ball of thumb governs our capacity to love and have compassion and sympathy for others, to maintain significant relationships, to appreciate people, animals, nature, art, and music. If there’s not enough love and sympathy, all the logic in the world won’t matter.

Unlike our other four fingers, our thumb is not ruled by a single planet. It’s obvious that willpower, logic, and love contain all elements and modalities. You can assign a sun sign to any detail to gain more insight. A particular element or modality may be strengthened or weakened by the shape of the tip and / or fingerprint. For example, a spatulate tip with a whorl print adds cardinality and fire. A square tip with an arch print adds fixity and earth. A round or conical tip with a loop print adds mutability and air or water. Many combinations are possible. I’ve written several blog posts on the thumb: The Basics ~ A Parable ~ The Murderer’s Thumb ~ Generalities

Once you’ve established a dominant element and modality for both hands, examine the fingers. The lengths and proportions of fingers, shapes of tips, knots, and nails reveal our relationships with others and what types of career and work we’re best suited for. How are your fingers spread? If they’re widely spaced, freedom is essential to doing things your way. If they’re held closely together you’re a team player, cautious at beginnings, and prefer not to make important decisions on your own.

Dominant index fingers (Jupiter) are long and stand independently from other fingers. A strong index fingered person prefers to partner. As ambitious types, they visualize their goals and then plan to accomplish them. As career minded individuals, they’re motivated by professionalism. They have natural leadership abilities that attract opportunities for them to manage. They’re drawn to others like themselves who are ambitious and proactive. Controlling behavior patterns, obsessive habits, being critical, judgmental, and indulging in too much good food and drink are weaknesses. Other flaws include false pride, gluttony, vanity, and bossiness. Dominant index fingered individuals must overcome their excesses by practicing moderation. Success comes more easily than most other types, but it still must be earned. Many successful judges, journalists, lawyers, politicians, producers, promoters, priests, speakers, salespeople, and the finest and worst chefs have dominant index fingers.

Basic hand shape will reveal whether the person is more adventurous, practical, thinking, or feeling. Shapes of tips, knots, nails, and fingerprints can dramatically modify any interpretation. You can assign an element and modality to any detail to gain more insight into the issue or challenge you’re addressing. Want to befriend a dominant index fingered person? Be honest, direct, proactive, and take pride in your career.

Many dominant index finger types are of medium height with generously proportioned bodies, wide chests, high foreheads, wide eyes, full faces, and wavy dark hair. Long index finger folk are naturally healthy types who may overindulge in rich exotic foods, luxurious desserts, and fine wines. It’s not a paradox that their physical sense is taste. The older they get, the higher the toll. Temptation knocks and Jupiter unlocks the door to eventual blood disorders, liver trouble, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and problems with hips, thighs, and throat. Many people believe short index fingers are connected to homosexuality. That’s not true. Here’s what I have to say on the subject.

The middle finger (Saturn) is the balance wheel of the hand. It should always be the longest finger, although it may appear shorter relative to index and / or ring fingers, which may be above average. Structure, discipline, and focus are needed. Harnessing these qualities is another story. Saturn is his own worst critic and easily frustrated. Finding healthy uses of will power is essential to having a healthy life. Dominant middle finger types are loners and need alone time. Less inclined to marry than other types, they’re dependable, organized, efficient, patient, and faithful. Their troubles begin with spending too much time feeling guilty, fearful, self-critical, frustrated, and depressed. Being overly responsible and perfectionistic is a recipe for depression, frustration, and fear. Notice how the strong middle finger in this photo magnetically draws the other fingers toward it. This man is an incredible artisan and a confirmed bachelor. He worked as a night watchman for many years.

Dominant middle-fingered folk are frequently tall, slender, and angular in appearance. Pure types have dark hair, large bones, stern features, and bland complexions. The prevailing physical sense is smell. Many Saturn types love string instruments and prefer classical music with a tinge of sadness. They eventually have problems with teeth, knees, ligaments, and hardening of arteries, rheumatism, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, or deafness in the left ear. When the middle finger leans toward the ring finger, you’ve got an individual with a very strong need for privacy. When he’s feeling confined, controlled, or restricted, he gets cranky. Notice the curved middle finger on Donald Rumsfeld’s left hand. There’s no doubt he’s a curmudgeon. Abraham Lincoln (Aquarius) and Clint Eastwood (Gemini) are quintessential Saturnians.

Have a dominant middle-fingered boss? Do your homework with a very sharp pencil. Your precision, attention to detail, and realism are vital to achieving your goals. Don’t be late and don’t make excuses. Assume responsibility and be pragmatic, reliable, and dependable. You’ll avoid criticism and maybe even get some praise.

The middle finger is the finger of fate. It’s where illusion and delusion meet reality. No matter what else is happening in your hands, the middle finger forces you to face the facts. Then you have to do whatever needs to be done. It’s always about work on your part. The remedy for many maladies is inherent in the challenges in and around the middle finger. Whether you do the work or not, what you do will show in your hands. A grille (schmutz) is a bunch of lines crisscrossing in every direction under the middle finger and a sure sign of frustration resulting from too much perfectionism or not doing what needs to be done. People with schmutz below their middle finger are their own worst critics. They must lighten up, buckle down, and bite the proverbial bullet. Taking one step at a time is the best medicine for letting go of frustration. Healthy attitudes will in time reduce or erase the grille. Healthy people have strong healthy middle fingers.

Ring finger types are happiest. Dominant index fingered folk are the most ambitious. Middle finger types are the most serious. The sun (Leo) finger is symbolized by Apollo, who hauls the sun across the sky each day in his chariot. Apollo types are attractive, brilliant, charming, graceful, artistic, and successful on the inside. Healthy dominant ring finger types are versatile, adaptable, creative, and expressive.

Being so brilliant with so many natural talents and abilities has a downside. It’s easy to be spread too thin (“jack of all trades”). Concern with outward appearances and being tempted by casual attractions is a waste of valuable time. They enjoy marriage, but have very high expectations of their mates that can lead to disappointment. So much solar energy makes them irresistible. Apollo types are healthy, medium height, naturally muscular, and athletic. Their dominant sense is sight. Physical weaknesses are heart problems, eyesight, and circulation. Dominant ring fingered people are lucky. They can trust their gut. When they take calculated risks, they often succeed. I’ve read the hands of many gamblers with very long ring fingers. Their biggest challenge is in knowing when to stop. Their optimism and idealism cloud reality. The most successful actors, artists, musicians, designers, and sales people have dominant ring fingers.

This powerful pinky finger fits a communicative, curious, and quick-witted individual. Dominant pinky fingered people are bottom liners. As quick thinkers and excellent communicators, they’re well aware that if their presentation doesn’t add up, they won’t make the sale. They’re eternally childlike and cherish their freedom. In relationships, they love variety until they end up marrying someone like their mother or father. They love children and will bear any burden for family.

Hermes is the Greek god attributed to the pinky finger. Peter Pan (adolescence), Puck, Knight of Swords, Court Jester, Magician, Thoth, Loki, and Mercury are all Hermes. Clever tricksters can also be great communicators and potential archetypes of wisdom.

Early family dynamic can be observed in the way the pinky is set on the hands. When it’s short or low set, trust is a major issue. Many women with very low set pinkies have told me that they have trouble having orgasms. Their real challenge is in trusting themselves and others enough to have real intimacy. A pinky finger emphasizes technical, language, and family, in addition to sexual potentials. Hermes’ dominant physical sense is hearing. Hermes prefers musical instruments that require dexterity.

The pinky finger is normally the shortest finger. To determine whether the pinky is considered long or short, look to where it lines up with the ring finger. When the tip of the pinky finger is above the crease between the first and second phalange of the ring finger, it’s considered long. When the pinky finger is shorter than that crease in the ring finger, it’s considered short. Hermes was the shortest of the gods. A dominant pinky fingered person tends to be short in stature. His or her body and face are slender, with expressive hands, dark hair, and penetrating eyes with crow’s feet in the corners. Ed Harris is a great example. Pinky fingered folk are youthful looking with men frequently having thin beards. Johnny Depp is a Mercurial type. Mercurial types are androgynous. Many (they may not know or admit it) are bi-sexual. David Bowie was Mercurial. Michael Jackson (Peter Pan) actually lived in his very own Neverland.

Health issues center around the nervous and bronchial systems. Problems with headaches, thyroid glands, memory loss, and speech impediments are common. Healthy types can be intuitive geniuses and great judges of character. Their liabilities are trickiness, fickleness, nervousness, restlessness, and superficiality. People preaching on soapboxes, pickpockets, and successful con artists have dominant pinkies (most inwardly curving). Mercury types make great lawyers, doctors, orators, writers, engineers, teachers, accountants, bankers, shopkeepers, and magicians. I work at special events with famous magicians. These amazing tricksters are very Mercurial. They surprise and astound by deceiving the eye and mind through sleight of hand. Hermes leads the way in science, law, medicine, writing, and banking.

Is this man telling the truth?

The chirological equivalent of Pinocchio’s nose is a deeply inwardly curving pinky finger. If your pinky finger is curved inwardly, you typically hate confrontation and spend too much time behaving in ways that work. You’ve spent so much of your life acting and bending the truth that you aren’t even aware you’re doing it. Most curved pinky fingered people learn early in life that “nice” works. Their biggest challenge is that “nice” ends up becoming safe instead of satisfying. Curved pinky fingered people are peacemakers. They try to fix other people and circumstances. If you’re one of these people, be yourself and not who you think everyone else wants and needs you to be.

Gold and diamond rings are often found on the pinky finger of acquisitive people. Pinky rings can symbolize the sublimation of sexual energies in order to achieve something requiring a lot of energy. I once examined a group of fifty young men and women, all born into wealthy families in the 80′s. Considering the prosperity of the period, it seemed a paradox to me that every single one of them had an obviously short phalange on the bottom segment of the little finger of his or her dominant hand. The bottom phalange represents the material world. Money will never be a motivation for this group’s career choices. Family issues and personal values will drive these individuals.

Yesterday, I remembered dad on father’s day. Today is mom’s birthday. No longer in physical form, mom would be 91 years old. She passed from her body at 83 after living as gratefully and gracefully as possible with metastasized breast Cancer for many years. Before she left this plane, she assured me that if there’s another side, she’ll be in touch. I haven’t heard from her yet, but haven’t given up hope. Mom’s cultivated Gemini hands with her square palms and long fingers harmonize well with her Gemini sun, moon, mercury, and midheaven conjunction.

Even in the direst of circumstances, our family always kept their sense of humor. Mom was lying in her hospital bed with tubes sticking in and out of her. She said to me, “What worries me most is how nice everyone is. Do they know something I don’t?” My sister warned, “You’re not allowed to die until you finish raising my (teenage) kids”. Jennifer joked about buying mom’s casket at Costco and mom loved the idea. Gary quipped, “I’ll start worrying about you when you stop putting on your makeup”. He threatened to taxidermy her and stick her in a corner of his living room. Mom’s intensive care doctor said he had never had a patient so sick and so determined not to look like it. I wheeled mom around the hospital. People thought I was her husband. I’d say, “Thanks for the compliment, but I’m her father”. “Pleased to meet you”, they’d say. At sixty, I could still embarrass my mother. Some things never change.

Mom was literally a poster child for the geriatric crowd at seventy-seven (above). To get a real taste of her, watch this exercise ball video. Mom made it as a response to Jennifer sending her the ball. The quality isn’t great, but her humor and attitude are well worth the watch!

Dad was a Pisces, born 2/22/22. His Sun, Venus, Uranus, and ascendant were conjunct in Pisces. My brother, Gary (Pisces), sister, Jennifer (Taurus), and I (Gemini) were well aware of how blessed we were. If the definition of a genius is an average kid with a Jewish Mother, ours was father. He was our biggest fan. When I was seven years old, I played a Chopin Prelude on the radio. Dad distributed radios to my whole grade school. He made sure everyone we knew listened. Despite my mortification, I quickly became a celebrity in our little community, which turned out to be fun.

I never got to read dad’s hands, nor did I ever find a decent photo of them. He died suddenly and unexpected at age 54 of a massive heart attack. I remember loving his hands as a child. They were warm, strong, and capable. He had a firm hand shake, a grip of steel, and an energetic touch that was always gentle and loving.

Dad was an incredible storyteller. Hardly a night went by in early childhood when my brother, sister, and I didn’t go on an exciting far off imaginary adventure at bedtime. “BoBo” the gorilla and “Squeaky” the mouse were friends ~ two magical characters that dad physically performed for us. I told Bobo stories to Cassie many times in her early childhood and can imagine her telling her children and them telling their children one day.

I know, it’s a corny salesman’s tool, but dad would ask people if they’d like to see his ‘Pride and Joy’. Dad always worked for a fixed salary. I never understood why. I believe it was probably because I was conceived on the night my folks were married and born nine months and one day later. He certainly rose with grace and dignity to embrace his responsibilities. Ironically, dad never found anything to sell that truly inspired him. He sold crystal, candles, pens, furniture, life insurance, and real estate.

The reason Dad was a great salesman was his desire and ability to care about people. Everybody looked forward to seeing him and he was as happy as a puppy to see them. Dad remembered everyone’s important personal stuff and made them glad to be themselves when he was around. His heartwarming smile and comical humor was contagious. Click here to watch dad in action. He created commercials for our family movies. The quality of the video isn’t great because it was converted from old 8mm film. It’s impossible not to laugh at the content.

Traditional palmistry identifies seven basic archetypes based on seven planetary places in the hands. Even the newest palmistry books promulgate traditional methods and impart obsolete knowledge derived from centuries of unoriginal thinking. Palmistry and astrology need each other. Astrology establishes twelve basic archetypes based on combinations of four elements and three modalities. Palmistry has embraced the four elements, but has ignored the three modalities. Learning to judge modalities in hands is challenging, but absolutely necessary.

The devil is in the details and there are many levels of details. No matter what your archetype and lines say about you, modality modifies interpretation. Knowing a modality is fundamental to knowing a person. If your hands are hard and fingers are stiff, you’ll fight change with every molecule in your psyche. Getting started and letting go will be major life challenges. People whose hands are soft and fingers are very supple and flexible are challenged to be disciplined, structured, and focused. Major life issues include avoiding distraction and saying ‘No’. Mutable types must be more patient and persistent in order to build strong structures on solid foundations that support greater purpose and meaning.

Modalities separate traditional palmistry from modern palmistry. I discussed the four elements in a previous blog post. Multiplying four elements by three modalities gives twelve unique character types. Anyone who knows astrology agrees that sun signs are distinctly different from one another. Palmistry represents the same twelve types and shares the same mythology. The greatest challenge is seeing the modalities and judging the degrees to which they’re affecting the elements. That takes practice.

Four Elements Cardinal Fixed Mutable

Here’s a brief generalized description of how to see the three modalities in the hands.

Cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Solstices and equinoxes are changes of seasons. Aries (spring), Libra (fall), Cancer (summer), and Capricorn (winter) are new beginnings. Cardinal types have boundless energy and enthusiasm when they’re feeling inspired and passionate. Powerful ambition blends with magnetic natures to impel action and achieve goals. They’re best at starting things and not so good at finishing them. When the work becomes mundane or routine, impatience, intolerance, and impulsiveness is imminent.

‘Pure’ types have enthusiastic handshakes, openly held fingers, low set thumbs, and resilient pink elastic skin. Their head and life lines are frequently separate where the thumb joins the hand. I frequently see one or more conical or spatulate fingertips and multiple whorl fingerprints on cardinal types. Flash Rosenberg is an initiator, a great friend, Guggenheim award winning visual artist, profuse performance artist, professional photographer, prolific writer, and artist in residence for ‘LIVE from the NY Public library’. Check out her remarkable live drawing and direction: IMAGINE: How Creativity Works – http://vimeo.com/38798735

Mid-seasons embody fixity. Taurus (mid-spring), Leo (mid-summer), Scorpio (mid-fall), and Aquarius (mid-winter) are fixed signs. Fixed types maintain, support, and nourish what exists. They’re logical and practical. You can depend on them. They say what they do and do what they say. Their greatest challenge is to see the proverbial handwriting on the wall and then accept and embrace change.

They have firm honest handshakes. Their hands and fingers are stiffer than cardinal and mutable types. Large stiff thumbs embody abundant will, supported by dogged determination, and sustained by relentless persistence. Square shape fingertips and developed second knots represent an organized, practical, responsible, reliable, and dependable nature. Cautious types hold fingers closely together and are better team players. Fixed head and life lines are often intertwined at their beginnings. I’ve observed multiple arch finger prints on fixed hands. Procrastination can be a substantial problem.

Dr. Bryks is my dentist. He’s a great craftsman and a compassionate, competent, and caring person with a huge ball of thumb. Full ball of thumb people are givers and lovers of home, food, comfort, nature, children, beauty, and art. It’s hard for them to say “No”. Dr. Bryks appreciates everyone. He hums his favorite melodies as he mines for decay in my teeth. If someone has to dig around in my mouth, I’m glad it’s Dr. Bryks.

Gemini (late-spring), Virgo (late-summer), Sagittarius (late-fall), and Pisces (late-winter) are mutable signs. They represent changeability. Mutable types generally have warm handshakes that convey honesty and sincerity (which may not be the whole truth). They’re clever, hate conflict, and work hard to avoid confrontation while employing the fine art of tact and diplomacy. Mutable types have the most openly held, flexible, and elastic hands and fingers of all three modalities. My open hands and strong straight pinkies are saying I have nothing to hide (although I hold many others’ secrets).

Cardinal types create, fixed types maintain, and mutable types communicate. Mutable does what cardinal and fixed don’t do or don’t want to do. As a mutable type, I love language and words. Anyone reading my blog knows I’ve chosen to speak for one of the most esoteric and obscure subjects on the planet. I hope to shift the false paradigm of palmistry as a gypsy fortune-telling scam (before I kick the impending bucket). As an expert on hands and a clear communicator, my mission is to give everyone a helping hand, their own. Priceless treasure waits to be discovered at the ends of our arms.

I posted this as the Sun entered Gemini, May 20, 2016 at 10:37am, EDT. Gemini is ruled by the greatest esoteric thinker of all time, Hermes Trismegistus, father of occult wisdom, astrology, and alchemy. Hermes was a real person who lived in ancient Egypt. He was reputedly the mystic teacher of Abraham. The Egyptians called him Thoth, scribe of the gods. Hermes was the Greek god of Wisdom. The Romans dubbed him Mercury, messenger of the gods. Mercury is in retrograde motion until May 22, 2016 at 9:20 am EDT. This is a great time for retrospection. Mercury is the Magician in Tarot, at an eternal crossroads with the resources and tools he needs to go wherever, whenever, and however he chooses.

Hermes resides in Gemini (social) in spring and Virgo (service) in autumn. God of trade, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, and border crossings, Hermes delivered messages from Mt. Olympus to mortals through their dreams and guided souls to the underworld. He was worshiped by farmers and shepherds. Hermes was a liaison between the visible and invisible. He refused to grow old and remained young in spirit as he aged gracefully for three hundred years in the flesh. Peter Pan, who can fly and never grows old, is Hermes’ adolescence. I’ll be 69 next month. I’m lucky at this third stage of my life (young, middle-aged, and ‘you look good’), because Hermes is my dominant archetype.

Hermes was the real father of wireless communication. His disciples understood that their brains were the cell communication hardware while their minds transmitted and received messages. Long before Moses, while most alchemists were trying to turn lead into Gold, Hermes realized that the real gold was found in relationships between cells made up of energy and matter that vibrated on physical, mental, and spiritual planes. Everyone and everything consists of individual cells that are physically, mentally, and spiritually connected to all other cells on all other planes at the same time. We can connect to anyone or thing at any time by realizing, recognizing, establishing, and tuning our links.

Hermetic alchemy is the mastery of mental forces to transmute one kind of mental vibration into another as opposed to manipulating material elements. Hermes calls the unknowable, indefinable, and incomprehensible spirit THE ALL. That’s why we have anthropomorphic gods and institutionalized religion. “While ALL is in THE ALL, it is equally true that THE ALL is in ALL. To him who truly understands this truth hath come great knowledge”

Hermes describes spirit as the essence which permeates ALL and bonds THE ALL. Our spiritual development is dependent on our recognition and realization of the universal spirit within each of us. Hermes identified seven metaphysical principles and established seven philosophical practices that explored, examined, and explained his theories of mentalism, correspondence, vibration, polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, and gender. Hermes awareness of spirit enabled him to give form to the formless.

According to Hermes, opposites are two extremes of the same thing with varying degrees between. Where does heat end and cold begin? Where does darkness stop and light begin? How about hard and soft, sharp and dull, noisy and quiet, high and low, and positive and negative?

The same principle operates on the mental plane. Love and hate are opposites with like and dislike being shades of gray. Vibrations of hate can be transformed to vibrations of love through the art of polarization, a mental science known and practiced by ancient and modern Hermetic masters. Hermes says, “Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature but different by degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled”. “THE SECRET” is Hermes principle of polarization.

Hermeticists were the original astrologers, alchemists, and psychologists. Ancients possessed knowledge of transcendental astronomy through astrology; transcendental chemistry through alchemy; and transcendental psychology through mystic psychology. Great philosophers and thinkers throughout history have unlocked the mysteries of nature with symbolism. Galileo was an astronomer, Pythagoras was a mathematician, Confucius was a philosopher, Plato was a thinker, Aristotle was a scientist, Nostradamus was an astrologer, Leonardo Da Vinci was an artist and inventor, George Washington was a president, Carl Jung was a psychologist, and Joseph Campbell was a mythologist. They were all grand masters of metaphysical symbolism.

Real alchemy isn’t about turning lead into gold. It’s about transforming Saturn (lead) into Solar power (gold). Alchemy is a set of magical formulas, tools, and esoteric instruction for becoming healthy, happy, and spiritually fulfilled in life. Initiates learn to cultivate clear vision, make healthy choices, maintain healthy attitudes, nurture relationships, build sound structures on solid foundations, and face challenges with strength, courage, dignity, wisdom, and faith.

Healthy seeds planted in healthy soils produce bountiful harvests of inner and outer knowledge and wealth. Successful alchemists are disciplined, structured, focused, mentally clear, emotionally balanced, and spiritually magnetized. The laws of attraction work best when you know what you truly want and your intent is clear. Spiritual alchemy can transform negative circumstances into positive challenges with favorable results. Each and every relationship affects each and every other relationship on a cellular level by raising or diminishing its vibration, polarity, and rhythm.

Astrology was one of the languages Hermes used to unlock the ancient mysteries. Astrology compares and contrasts the heavens with the affairs of mankind on earth. Astrologers espouse Hermes second principle of correspondence “As above, so below – as below, so above”. The diversity of astrological symbols and their relationships describe each of us and our roles in this huge dysfunctional family we call humanity.

Shine your virtue and healthy intent brightly on the most beneficial and constructive aspects of your character and you too can turn lead into gold.

Tens of millions of people read their horoscopes daily in newspapers and magazines without realizing the true value of astrology. More ancient than the pyramids, astrology is a science and art that symbolizes and examines relationships between the cycles of celestial bodies and life on earth. Every moment in time and space has an exclusive signature. Symbolic patterns synchronize with life experience and personality patterns.

I studied astrology for several years before I began learning palmistry. Initially, I found astrology to be complex and mathematical, however, with practice I began to recognize a profoundly simple and elegant system for examining human nature, patterns, timing, and life cycles. One problem with natal astrology for me was that accurate forecasting is an exacting science. I know from personal experience that most doctors, nurses, and parents are not watching the clock at a baby’s first breath. Clients often give birth times on the hour or half hour. Many don’t know whether they were born in the morning or evening. Others depend on a vague memory from their mother long after the event. My mother planned to have a natural childbirth. After 24 hours in labor; the obstetrician finally cut me out to save her life. My mom believed that she remembered my birth time correctly, but her memory was different from my birth certificate, which I ended up using to construct my horoscope. I later rectified my chart, which had changed by six minutes.

One more important thing I discovered while reading hands was that even when a birth time is correct, it doesn’t mean that a natal horoscope reveals the whole person. The astrological ascendant (rising sign) of the natal horoscope is considered the foundation for determining behavior. I discovered from reading hands that a person’s sun or moon or powerful aspects between planets or perhaps a stellium (three or more) of planets in a particular sign or house may actually be dominating their personality.

The value of reading hands lies in its capacity to help us easily identify our personality traits and motivations. By understanding our natural strengths and weaknesses, we can transform our negative thought patterns into positive behavioral patterns. The beauty of reading hands is that as our thinking and circumstances change, so do our hands.

Once we pinpoint our strengths and weaknesses, we can alter our thinking, exercise our free will, and those changes will reveal themselves in our hands over time. As we influence our destiny, we can observe our successes and failures reflected in the mirrors of our hands. While other symbolic systems such as astrology and numerology show potential challenges and talents, hands show what we are actually doing with our potentials.

Astrology and palmistry share the same mythology. Those same Greek and Roman gods are still alive and well inside and outside of us. As Joseph Campbell once said, “Oedipus crosses 42nd Street”. Hands contain both physical and celestial DNA. Planetary symbols are alchemical keys to unlocking knowledge and wisdom.

Jupiter and Saturn are considered social planets. Jupiter (index finger) reflects ambition, self-esteem, philosophy, and spirituality. Saturn (middle and hopefully always longest finger) is the balance wheel of the hand. A healthy Saturn provides a solid foundation of structure, purpose, and wisdom. An unhealthy Saturn (extremely long, knotty, crooked middle finger with grilled lines underneath is one example) symbolizes perfectionism, frustration, moodiness, and depression. The native needs to become more structured, disciplined, focused, and work harder as a remedy for their negative qualities. That’s hard.

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are transpersonal planets. As they orbit our sun very slowly and change zodiacal signs, they form exact geometric astronomical relationships with personal planets, each other, and various celestial bodies and zodiacal points in the cosmos that mirror our shifting paradigms and transformation from the status quo.

Outer planets symbolize mass psychology and reveal powerful changes in the collective unconscious. They disclose generational influences that affect individuals in personal ways depending on their placement and relationships with personal planets in a natal horoscope. Many modern palmistry books tell you that the outer planets can be located and interpreted directly in the hands. I’ve tried, but not found this to be true. Outer planetary influence can be seen as reflected in the collective qualities in hands. For example, if a person is erratic and unpredictable, or maybe they’re an inventive genius, Uranus is strong. If they’re addictive, escapist, or visionary, Neptune is strong. Highly sexual, secretive, controlling, and obsessive folks have strong Pluto. My plan is to share the outer planetary generational changes as I examine individual signs and hands.

I have Scorpio rising. Jupiter in Scorpio in my first house is a singleton in the bottom hemisphere of my horoscope. Saturn and Pluto closely straddle my Leo midheaven. My Gemini Sun is conjunct Uranus and Venus is conjunct my North Node in my Gemini eighth house. You’d think my hands would be Scorpion, but instead, they’re Gemini with square palms and widely spread long flexible fingers. That’s not to say I’m not Plutonian. I am, but not in the ways I behave.

Sometimes clients are very different than I expected from examining their horoscope. Imagine their chart is dominated by mutable water or air and there’s not a drop of earth. I expect them to float through the door. Instead, an extremely grounded person walks in. When I look at their hands and see lots of earth and no mutability, air, or water, their astrology begins to make more sense. They’ve compensated in their life for whatever they lack in their astrological symbolism. Ocassionally, a challenging aspect from a transiting outer planet impels them to come for a consultation.

I’ve learned not to depend on a person’s natal horoscope to observe their character. Learning palmistry with astrology has helped me to understand both better. Astrology is especially helpful in confirming and affirming what I see in a person’s hands and can provide additional information about a person’s behavioral patterns, timing, and life cycles. I use numerology and tarot to get at things I can’t see using astrology and palmistry.

A majority of modern palmistry books agree that there are seven or eight basic archetypes that can be seen in the hands. I’ve applied an astrological framework to palmistry to identify and define twelve basic character types. Western astrology and palmistry share the same Greek and Roman gods. The combinations, permutations, and probabilities of their relationships are always and forever being acted out in our individual lives. Humanity is one huge dysfunctional family and each of us is a member.

People ask, “Does astrology rule your life?” No, it doesn’t. “Do you use astrology to plan your activities?” When my symbolism fits, that’s wonderful. When it doesn’t, I consider the best and worst that can happen.I usually ask myself “Is what I want possible? What’s the best outcome I can envision?” Then Imake an informed decision, and take action. Thanks to hindsight, I get to see how and why my choices have or haven’t worked out and how that fits with my symbolism.

“Do you read your own hands?” Definitely! It’s not easy to be objective about oneself. I meditate on my hands for clarity and insight. Self-scrutiny and vigilance are endless and eternal. Knowing myself helps me be myself.

A natal horoscope is a unique map of the positions of planets in the heavens at the specific time and place of a birth. Expert astrologers offer accurate and in depth perspectives of our personalities, possibilities, probabilities, and prospects. Emperors, kings, presidents, dictators, philosophers, mystics, scholars, and artists throughout history have used astrology (and still do) to understand and influence world events.

Astrology empowers us by giving us a menu of life’s choices. Countries and inanimate objects have sun signs. A Cancer sun will forever symbolize a signing of a Declaration of Independence. The exact date, time, and place of a corporation’s first trade (IPO) symbolize its partnership with the public. Even thoughts, feelings, ideas, and questions with accurate birth dates, times, and places have astrological lives of their own. Many applications are available because astrology is a symbolic system.

Natal astrology examines character, patterns, and life cycles. Astrological progressions map psycho-sociological patterns of past, present, and future. Astrological synastry examines the symmetry between two or more horoscopes. Medical astrology analyzes the physiology and psychology of health and illness. Political, economic, and mundane astrology focus on natural and manmade challenges such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, wars, economic and plane crashes. Meteorological astrology researches weather patterns. Horary and electional astrology answer particular questions and establish specific times to initiate action. Excellent astrology books, educational opportunities, charting services, and sophisticated state-of-the-art interpretive astrological software are readily available to all. I wish the same were true for palmistry, which is even older than astrology.

NY Stock Exchange – outer planetary transits 2015-2025

In my next blog post, I’ll introduce astrology’s four elements as four basic hand types:

“It is easier to live through someone else than to become complete yourself.”

Betty Friedan

You don’t need to be an Aquarius to be Aquarian. I’m generalizing, but I’ve noticed pure types have lower set thumbs, stiffer fingers, and more rounded and spatulate fingertips than Libras or Geminis (all have square palms and long fingers). I’ve seen many head and life lines closely intertwined at their beginnings and bulging knots on several finger joints. I’ve also observed many thumbs and ring fingers with whorl fingerprints. Most other tips are loops. The dialogue between hand reader and client reveals the degree to which the person is fulfilling their innate potentials.

Everyone has Uranus and Aquarius in their symbolism. Uranus gives Aquarian energy to circumstances and relationships depending on its location in the horoscope and its relationship with other celestial bodies. Many modern palmists see Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in specific locations in the hands. I’m not one of them. In astrology, the outer planets represent collective unconscious and symbolize karmic generational challenges. The outer planets affect the individual, but are best interpreted not as individual details, but through the lens of time, space, and major patterns. In my experience, they must be observed and interpreted in the overall qualities of hands and not in specific locations.

Many people think Aquarius is a water sign. They see a water bearer and a symbol that looks like waves. Aquarius is fixed air. Air symbolizes thinking. Air waves are sharp and precise. Water embodies the personal and collective unconscious, emotion, and feeling. The water bearer is discarding feelings in favor of thinking by pouring them from a jug.

Aquarians are famous for brotherhood, community, friendships, and avoiding intimacy. Much of their time is spent in a world of their own ideas and inventions. They overvalue their freedom, cherish their opinions, and secretly believe they can solve problems better than anyone else. They’re progressive, original, and independent thinkers who pride themselves on their unconventionality, originality, and uniqueness. They must learn to value their individuality for what it is and not for the sake of being different. They relish revolution when a cause is righteous, but must remember that just because they’re revolting doesn’t make them revolutionary. Uranians attract unconventional and unusual friends. They like sharing ideas, but stick to their opinions. The only way to convince an Aquarian to change his mind is to be logical and make great sense.Encourage innovation. They’ll be happier.

Uranus takes 84 years to return to its natal position. Betty Friedan (2/4/21 – 2/4/06) died on her 85th birthday. Betty transformed women’s rights with The Feminine Mystique and catalyzed the women’s movement. Founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Betty organized the first International Feminist Congress in 1973.Betty’s Aquarian war cry was “Make policy not coffee”.

Tarin Chaplin (Dec. 4, 1941 – May 30, 2009)

An “eco-choreographer,” activist, writer and dancer, Tarin sought to connect people to the earth, the elements, and the sentient and non-sentient beings that share this universe with us (Burlington Free Press).

Tarin has no planets in Aquarius. Her Aquarian personality reveals itself in her widely inventively spread long fingers on square palms. A bundle of creative expression, Tarin had an overly developed sense of responsibility, obligation, and guilt. Her crooked middle fingers tell a tale of too many worthy causes that delayed her from living in her ideal world. Tarin’s The Intimate Act of Choreography is one of Joanna’s favorite books.

Pattie Canova is a Taurus and the Queen of Pentacles. She behaves like the Queen of Swords with her square palms, long straight fingers, and stiff thumbs. A strong head and life line connection reveals an Aquarian type. Pattie is my all-time favorite tarot teacher. I had studied with other experts, but never really connected to the archetypes until I met Pattie. Her knowledge and understanding of the myths and her grasp of archetypal psychology is awesome. A genuine passion and desire to share what she knows puts Pattie way ahead of her competition. Notice how her fingers lean toward her strong index fingers that project outward. Pattie’s a Giver.

Bright pink color on the heels of Pattie’s hands reveals her psychic ability. I’ve watched those lunar mounts glow like hot coals when her intuition is cranking. Pattie has an uncanny ability to remember everyone’s names. I’m unhappily afflicted with Alzheimer’s for names. Pattie performs feats of tarot magic on stage and radio. She shared some Aquarian thoughts and ideas with me in a letter that I’m sharing with you.

“My work on stage may seem frivolous and at times it can be. My audience can ask the most banal of questions, but it’s fear that keeps them from themselves. They’re a great reflection for my process; what I love about it and what I’ve just given myself to receive from it all is the experience of joining, of oneness, the giving up of judgments and quieting of my perception. We are all on the same journey. Doing what I’m doing has helped me take it out of my head and into my heart and practice. We all walk that hard road toward enlightenment. I so trust the outcome. I so trust the absoluteness and the power of spirit. I know that everyone in their own way ‘hears’ something, either through feeling or insight.”

My sister Jennifer is Taurus. Her long straight knotty stiff fingers and thumbs are set on square palms. A fixed thinker, she can be incredibly logical, very practical, and extremely obstinate. I know better than to argue with her. Jennifer is a compelling story teller, gifted children’s librarian, loving parent, partner, daughter, sister, community member, good friend, and amazing natural cook. The tragic loss of Graham, Jenny and Brian’s 23 year old son has forever created sadness in their hearts. They cherish his memory by continuing to be their realest and healthiest selves.

It’s impossible not to like Kevin McGuire. A charismatic Capricorn, Kevin’s Aquarian hands blend a need for structure, discipline, and focus (Saturn) with his originality and creativity (Uranus). He’s acted and directed his way around the globe, performing lead roles in Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Jane Eyre, Secret Garden, Uncle Vanya, and recently, Kris in Miracle on 34th Street. Kevin has sung for Presidents Clinton, Reagan, and Ford.

Oprah Winfrey is an Aquarian with lots of fire. Her intuitive type is seen in her rectangular palms and short fingers. Sagittarius rises in her natal chart, blending two virgin goddesses, Athena and Artemis. As an Alchemist, Oprah turned lead into gold when she transformed an abandoned poor black bastard girl from the south into the self-appointed Queen of mass media. Oprah truly wants to make a positive difference, but no matter what and how much she does, it’s a droplet in a sea of human suffering, misery, and tragedy. Oprah must balance responsibility with transparency by always being true to herself.

I love Uranus (conjunct my sun). Some of my favorite teachers have been Aquarians. When the all too familiar ‘shit was hitting the fan’ a quarter century ago, I hunted for a compatible psychotherapist. After interviewing Freudians, Jungians, Reichians, and Adlerians, I chose a Gestalt therapist. My needs were too immediate to be spending time combing for clues from my childhood to fix my current challenges.

I chose an Aquarian. I call him Ian, for the “ians”. I’d weave my web of melodrama for Ian, hoping to gain his approval and sympathy. When I’d finish, he’d ask, “So what else is new?” He wouldn’t let me get away with anything. Ian noticed every expression and gesture. I’d say “but…” He’d say “and…” I’d say “can’t…” He’d say “Don’t want to!” Ian often pissed me off by cleaning his nails or playing with his latest gadget. In the end, his unorthodox methods and clever techniques helped me change my stuck thinking.

As a thinking type, Ian’s hands were just like mine. He had square palms and long fingers held widely apart. The difference was that my hands and fingers were very flexible while Ian’s were knotty and very stiff. He was strong willed, focused, and determined. I was a “jack of all trades, master of none”. Ian helped me focus, discipline myself, and clarify my thinking. I valued Ian’s friendship as well as his skills.

Ian was fascinated by my ability to read hands. We shared our ideas and theories for hours after our sessions. As founding director of a Gestalt Psychology Institute, Ian suggested I participate in a twice weekly intermediate Gestalt study group. I joined for two years and loved the experience. I seamlessly integrated physical, psychological, philosophical, and spiritual archetypes with my knowledge of palmistry. My hand reading expertise brought fresh perspectives to our study group. Psychology compliments metaphysics by providing a foundation for counseling. Palmistry provides psychology with great diagnostic tools. Counseling skills are neglected in the practices of many self-appointed psychics. It’s much easier to see something than to know what to say about what you see. In the end, it’s what you say and how you say it that matters.

Uranus takes 7 years to change sign and 84 years to orbit our sun through twelve signs. In Aquarius, Uranus churned up the wild rapids of the early 20th century. It brought sudden and unexpected changes on a grand scale from 1912 to 1919.

1912 ~ the “unsinkable” Titanic sunk on its maiden voyage.

1913 ~ a series of tornadoes and floods devastated Middle America, killing over 3,000 people and costing over $100,000,000

1914 ~ World War I began.

1915 ~ a German submarine torpedoed the Lusitania.

The first transcontinental phone call was made by Alexander Graham Bell.

1916 ~ Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary, invaded the USA.

President Woodrow Wilson retaliated by sending 6,000 troops into Mexico.

The Official Gazette of London published names of 80 United States firms suspected of trading with Germany.

1917 ~ USA declares war against Germany.

Worst race riot in American history occurs in Illinois.

Congress amends to prohibit alcohol.

1918 ~ Spanish Flu was the worst pandemic since the bubonic plague that wiped out one quarter of Europe’s population in the 14th century. Daylight Savings Time began.

1919 ~ Prohibition is ratified as the 18th amendment to the constitution. Congress failed to ratify the Treaty of Versailles. President Wilson opposed and unsuccessfully took his disagreement to the American people. He died on tour after having a massive stroke.

When Neptune began transiting the sign of Aquarius in 1996, people became even more divided, deceived, and demoralized by the powers that be. When Uranus entered Aquarius in 1996, it was home. Many people believed it launched the Age of Aquarius. Humanity would finally choose brotherhood over selfishness, convenience, and fashion.

President Bill Clinton’s first political act of 1996 was to sign a welfare reform bill that made life harder for the poor. Taiwan had its first democratic election. There were four major plane crashes. Madeline Albright became the first female Secretary of State. Ellen DeGeneres became the first outwardly gay star of an ABC sitcom. Body piercing and tattoos became more popular.

In 1998, Catholics and Protestants voted for peace in Ireland. We began bombing Iraq. Male virility became popular after Pfizer introduced Viagra. The stock market created a new form of gambling dubbed “internet day trading”. DVDs became the fastest growing consumer electronics product in history. Bribes and drugs tarnished the Olympics. We lost our innocence, civil liberties, and illusion of private and social security and stability.

Neptune rules confusion, illusion, and delusion. When Neptune entered Aquarius in 1998, the House of Representatives impeached President Clinton, who gave “perjuriously false and misleading” testimony in front of a grand jury. Bill is a Leo with hands to match.

Our government and twenty state attorney generals charged Microsoft with anti-trust practices for dominating the Internet access market. Bill is Scorpio with intuitive hands.

When Neptune left Aquarius in 2012, our greatest illusion and deception touched old, poor, sick people, and everyone else who can’t afford to have bad shit happening. Greedy visions are affecting billions of people aged 65 and over. We must understand what’s truly valuable before we can transform our inequities. Mid – 21st Century will be an era of profits of false prophets intended to confuse, delude, and control the 99%. Tycoons will finance political campaigns, control partisan politics, manage health care, restrict social welfare, gamble with people’s pensions, and risk social security.

Since Neptune entered Pisces in 2012, old, poor, and sick people have been seeking security, stability, and spiritual answers and finding despair, fear, and terror.